Utopia for Realists

by Rutger Bregman

The Sunday Times Bestseller

We live in a time of unprecedented upheaval, with questions about the future, society, work, happiness, family and money, and yet no political party of the right or left is providing us with answers. Rutger Bregman, a bestselling Dutch historian, explains that it needn't be this way.

Bregman shows that we can construct a society with visionary ideas that are, in fact, wholly implementable. Every milestone of civilization - from the end of slavery to the beginning of democracy - was once considered a utopian fantasy. New utopian ideas such as universal basic income and a 15-hour work week can become reality in our lifetime.

This guide to a revolutionary yet achievable utopia is supported by multiple studies, lively anecdotes and numerous success stories. From a Canadian city that once completely eradicated poverty, to Richard Nixon's near implementation of a basic income for millions of Americans, Bregman takes us on a journey through history, beyond the traditional left-right divides, as he introduces ideas whose time has come.

• ISBN10: 9082520303
• ISBN13: 9789082520309
• Publish Date: 15 April 2016
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Correspondent
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 252
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

The 15-hour work week, universal income and open borders: Bregman invites us to dream of possibilities to challange and improve the world for everyone. Persuasive and well-written.

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: A few weeks ago, a friend asked me over coffee how I would tackle the problem of homelessness. This isn't a very visible problem in Singapore but in the UK it is, so it's no wonder that that's something that had been weighing more on her mind than mine. Utopia for Realists gave me further points to consider with regards to this problem, as well as about inequality, the abundance that we live with and how redistribution/an assured minimum wage might be a solution, and about time and leisure.

This book also made me think about the merits of work, what we really work for, things that matter to me and that I would much prefer to spend my time on. Doctors, nurses, teachers, garbage collectors, etc definitely do important work but what about people working in finance, law and advertising? To a certain extent, they do matter, but there also are many hours wasted that could be used to add true value to the world. Sure, many view work and being busy as makes of success but what if we recalibrated our views on work to include low to non-paid activities such as pursuing the arts, home keeping and raising children?

While I hadn't expected it, Utopia for Realists turned out to be a valuable book for me as I've been mulling over the past year about what I want to do with my time.

[Beth C.]

Definitely worth reading. The ideas are intriguing, and also virtually impossible to imagine in the world we currently live in. But then again - so much of the "impossible" has become the possible over the years.